betrayal | My Everyday God

Jackson and Lauren made crosses out of ripped paper pieces

Jesus suffered heartache and betrayal. He knows what its like to have a friend turn his back and sell Him out. Right after Jesus humbly washed the feet of His disciples, Judas Iscariot chose to walk out and betray the man he had followed for three years.

There will be times in our lives when people who said they were our friends turn out not to be, or when people close to us will disappoint us or hurt us deeply. Jesus understands how difficult this is.

Even though our hearts may tear or feel ripped in two, Jesus takes those pieces and makes them beautiful at the cross. Knowing how He lavishly forgives us allows us to forgive others.

For our art project today, the kids ripped paper into pieces, and then glued those pieces to make a cross. Jackson, in particular, enjoyed dramatically ripping the paper over his head and over his knees.

Read more about Judas betraying Jesus in Mark 14:18-21.

Learn more about 2 Weeks 2 the Cross and explore ways to experience Easter in a meaningful way with your family.

Sin causes separation.

Jesus spent three years with Judas, teaching him Heaven’s perspective, giving him a front-row seat to incredible miracles, and loving him as a dear friend.

And, as we read in Mark 14:18-21, Jesus spent part of His last evening before He would be crucified washing Judas’ feet and sharing a meal with him and the disciples.

On Day 5 of 2 Weeks 2 the Cross, Jesus is betrayed. Judas turns his back on his friend and leader, and sells Him out for a cheap price.

Day 5 Connection Icon: ripped paper

Jesus knows what it is like to have a friend hurt you and turn against you. Jesus knows how we feel when people who we thought were our friends leave us out to dry, cheat us, tell lies about us or let us down.

Tonight, we made friend cut-outs and decorated them. Then, we talked about how sin separates. For Judas, he rejected the grace of God, and betrayed Jesus. We tore our friends apart to show that sin severs our connection.

When we ripped the hands apart on our people, it was really sad. The edges were frayed and what we had just spent time cutting out and coloring wouldn’t be the same.

We fail God, too. We choose to do what’s wrong, even though we know what God has clearly said in His Word. We sin against God, and that separates us from Him. However, unlike Judas, we can confess our failures and receive forgiveness.

After ripping apart our people, we then joined the hands back together with red tape. The blood Jesus shed will heal the torn edges of our lives when we place our trust in Him.

Learn more about our 2 Weeks 2 the Cross journey, and join us as we turn our hearts to Jesus this Easter!